End of the Line
by Angel-kohai
Summary: (Collab. with Depressing Shadows) Amy's having a hard time dealing with Shadow's death...broken and upset, the pink hedgehog has to watch as the new love of her life is buried six feet under. Just how can she take it? Sequel to Snow Blind! [RATED T for swearing]


**The summary pretty much says it all. Depressing Shadows and I teamed up again to bring you the sequel to Snow Blind. Originally planned to get it out by last weekend, but didn't. Life. **

**If you haven't, please go read the first part. If you don't, you'll have no idea what's going on! So yeah…go read it! Then come back and read this! Moving on…**

_**Disclaimer: **_I don't, nor does Depressing Shadows, own any STH characters used in this story. They belong to SEGA.

* * *

_x*End of the Line*x_

**~Normal POV~**

Amy laid in the hospital bed crying her heart out. The nurse by her side, Nurse Rosa, stood there with her head hanging low as she witnessed the most heart-breaking scene in her career, despite all the other times she's seen it. The heart monitor had long been unplugged and there was nothing to fill the silence besides Amy's loud sobs. The bed had once held the very alive Shadow the Hedgehog…

Just minutes ago, he was talking to Amy with the last few minutes of his life. Confessing his love to her, undoubtedly speaking of his inevitable death. It was truly sad to see the pink hedgehog like that, and Rosa didn't even know the poor girl! She knew it was going to be hard to get the pink female back to her own room so they could treat her injuries.

There was a knock on at the room's door, and in peeked a doctor, "Nurse Rosa, we need to get her back to the room. I've already contacted Sonic and his friends to decided what to do with the body-"

Amy's sobs got louder interrupting his speech. Doctor Sanchez looked down to the floor. Maybe he should've said that a little quieter…

"Miss Rose has already refused to move or leave this room. She wishes to stay here with him." Rosa told the doctor.

"Well, she's still a patient here, nurse. She can't stay in this room forever." the doctor said, crossing his arms.

"What do you expect me to do? I'm not going to use force on her."

"You need to figure something out. She may only listen to you…" and with that, the doctor disappeared back into the hallway. Rosa turned back to the sobbing female, still lying over Shadow's dead, cold body. This was not going to be easy.

~.~

A sad sigh escaped from her lips as she walked over to the crying female. With much hesitation, she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You need to get some rest…" she spoke softly. Rosa wanted to say more, however, she didn't know how to. How does one comfort a grieving girl who has just lost someone close to her? No amount of training or careful planning would ever help one prepare for this.

"I-It's all…m-my fault…" Amy stuttered. It was faint, barely above a whisper. She was blaming herself for his death, the nurse realized. Rosa, taken aback by this fact, tried her best to comfort the heartbroken hedgehog.

"Don't be silly. Of course it wasn't your fault…" Amy turned slightly to face her, tears running down her cheeks. Her sad expression changed to a frown; one that resembled those the late Shadow usually prided his face with.

"Y-You only say that because it's your job to do so. Of course it's my fault! I got shot, I needed help; I'm the reason he's dead!" she cried out. Rosa removed her hand from her shoulder and backed away, not wanting to anger her any further. Though, Amy's newfound anger was quickly replaced by the bitter feeling of absolute sorrow. Turning away, she continued to sob over Shadow. Looking on in a mixture of shock and sadness, Rosa once again tried to approach the pink hedgehog.

"Miss Rose…we need to…" Death is a tricky business. It messes with people's minds, turning friendly into hostile, and happiness into sadness. People you thought you knew change, and might never be the same again. Rosa learned this the hard way as the pink female suddenly snapped around, her anger giving her a quick comeback.

"Shut up, and leave me the hell alone!" she exclaimed. Rosa quickly backed away again as the sobs started up again. Just then, the doctor came back in.

"Well?" he asked expectantly.

"Just give her a _few_ _more_ _minutes_. She's not ready, doctor." the nurse defended on behalf the crying girl.

"She has until midnight before we take her and the body away. Whether she complies or not." The doctor said with a stern look before leaving again. Rosa glared holes into the door he left out of. She hated this kind of thing when it came to her job. Looking at the clock, it was fifteen minutes before midnight. Surely, the hedgehog would cause trouble on the way back, but…what more could she do?

* * *

Amy cried out even louder as she sat in her own hospital room. Sonic had joined her and couldn't calm her at all. She screamed. She bawled. She threw curses at everyone in the room.

Basically, she was a wreck.

And no matter what, she would always say, 'He's coming back! I know he will! He would never leave me like this!' It was truly heart-wrenching.

The doctor and nurse continued to tend to her wounds and with time, she was let out of the hospital, but she quickly locked herself away from the world in her house. No one could get her to come out.

…Not even Sonic.

Her friends started to worry about her wellbeing because if you happened to catch Amy, her fur was more pale than usual, her eyes red and puffy, and she wore long sleeves all the time. Of course, this lead to many assumptions as to what she was doing in the privacy of her home, but none could be sure since no one - literally no one - had been in the pink hedgehog's house.

But one could hope she was at least still sane…

**~Sonics' POV~**

Today was the day. The burial…his burial. It's hard to believe that the immortal, smug badass that was Shadow the Hedgehog would be the first one of our team to die. I'll be honest; in the past, I secretly dreamed of the moment that I would be rid of my bitter rival, but now that it's happened…I just feel empty and broken, disgusted with myself for ever thinking such a thing. Everyone took the news hard, especially Amy since she had to witness it. I will not pretend to understand her actions, or what happened during their fight against the blizzard. She's blaming herself for his death, although I know that's not true, and from the tortured and mumbled cries I heard while she was in the hospital, I pieced together that Shadow sacrificed himself for her…

Damn, I guess he was the real hero, and I was the faker after all.

Arriving at her doorstep, I let out a sigh to build up some courage and knocked on the door. An agonizing three minutes went by without an answer. I knocked again - louder this time - and still received no answer. Growing impatient, I put my hand on the door knob and twisted it slowly. I was surprised when the door opened, but slowly made my way inside.

The usually tidy house was a complete mess; all the curtains were shut, the light were off and Amy was nowhere to be seen. Walking ever-so slowly from room to room, there was garbage and shattered glass littering the floor. The stench of alcohol was strong, and empty bottle of whiskey and rum were stationed at every table and counter. After searching through the first floor, and to my dismay, not finding Amy, I decided to check upstairs. Making my way up the steps, I suddenly noticed the eerie silence that had cursed the once noisy home. Becoming more nervous by the minute, I carefully called out her name.

"Amy…?" All I heard was my voice echoing throughout the halls as I made my way towards the only door slightly open. I carefully pushed the door, and what I found was…I couldn't even describe it - her!

Amy was a complete mess, much like her own house, and as I stared at her, I noted she looked highly intoxicated. Her clothes were thrown everywhere, her mirror was broken, things torn…I didn't know if I was standing in a house or a battlefield!

"Amy? What happened?" I asked. She looked my way, her once lively jade green orbs, now dull.

"Nothing…happened. I just…remodeled the place." she responded with dry sarcasm. _More like a tornado went through the place,_ I thought. I slowly approached her.

"I can see that. But I mean, what happened to _you?_"

"What do you mean? I'm still the same. Nothing's changed…much." Amy stood up, her black dress had torn lace and strings, "I'm ready to go."

I wanted to say no because her hair was in a messy bun and her make-up wasn't attractive and it didn't help hide her bloodshot eyes - but she was out the door before me. I sighed.

Shadow's death has a lot more effects than realized. Amy's so far gone, she's oblivious to her own being. Who knows what could happen at the actual funeral. Honestly, I was a little scared to find out.

"Are you…really going outside like that…?" How I said this was wrong. It came out in a manner fitting an insult, and I immediately regretted it. However, the damage was already done as Amy stopped walking, visibly clenching her fists. I was in for it now; even before his death, she was known for her anger management issues. But now, after it, they've become worse - violent even. Turning my attention back to her, she looked slightly over her shoulder, seemingly staring straight through me. She was started turning…oh, I'm so dead…

**~Amy's POV~**

He was right…I did look horrible. And this was the last farewell to Shadow; the last time I'll ever see him. I could at least look good or decent for the occasion. Although, no matter how right he was, that statement was delivered along the lines of being a jerk. An inconsiderate one at that. Raising my hand and unclenching my fist, I slapped him right across the face as tears welled up in my eyes. Punishment out of the way, the problem at hand presented itself.

"…Please help me…" I begged with a whimper. My tears were now free-falling by the time he realized what I'd done and he cautiously put a hand around to me to pull me into a hug. I didn't accept nor deny it. I was just there, crying; fully understanding that Shadow wasn't coming back.

My eyes were already bloodshot and red, and the additional crying caused me more pain. My dress was a mess, my hair was a mess…_I_ was a mess. A broken, worthless mess. Around this time, it seemed like nothing mattered to me anymore.

"Help you with…what?" Tilting my head slightly upwards, I looked at the cerulean hedgehog. _What do you think genius?_, is what I wanted to say, but my broken state made that impossible. All I could muster up was a short, weak prayer for salvation.

"H-Help me look decent…f-for him…" My stuttering quickly broke into sobs seconds after. He let go of the embrace, recoiling from my last sentence; eyes slightly widened and hopefully in a deep thought for a solution to my obvious dilemma. I noted that it took him a minute to say anything back.

"Hmm…he really meant a lot to you, didn't he?"

_Yes. Yes, he did. After what he did, after showing me his soft side, his confession. His determination to keep me safe, even accepting the sacrifice of doing so. _Did he mean a lot to me? _More than you can ever imagine. _And now he's dead…gone forever, and he's not coming back.

"Yes…yes he did." I spoke softly.

**~Sonics' POV~**

To help her look decent was my mission. I've saved the world and have been on life-threatening operations for GUN countless times, but making her look decent was going to be a challenge. I didn't know about these kinds of things! And to add on, she stated she wanted to look good for Shadow, not everyone else, which made it more difficult. If you haven't realized, I'm not Shadow or even close to it. Nevertheless, I was determined to fulfill her wish. I at least owe her that much.

"So you want to look nice for Shadow?" I asked, for reassurance to make sure I had everything correct. A small nod was all I needed and she did so. One obstacle down, plenty more to go. Now…to figure out what Shadow would like. It might've taken a minute, but the obvious answer hit me, "Remove the make-up and wear your usual clothing." I stated, little to none uncertainty in my voice. It was simple enough. All natural, no cover-up. No secrets, no lies. But how would I convince he this was a good choice?

A few seconds went by in silence, "No make-up? What do you mean 'usual' clothing?" Amy finally asked.

"Well…be different and stand out. Everyone will be wearing the traditional black, wear…red! That was his favorite color." _I think…_ but that last part was to myself. I could see her face scrunching up, contemplating on whether to believe me or not. Eventually, she went back to her room going straight for the closet as I followed at a safer distance. She rummaged around in it. I didn't say anything to interrupt, in fear of upsetting her again; my cheek still stung.

"Is this…okay?" Amy suddenly asked. She held up a red dress that was sleeveless and had spaghetti thin straps and looked to have end at her knees. The lace and ruffles were thankfully intact, unlike the other clothing items I'd seen.

"Yeah, that looks perfect! I'm sure Shadow would've loved to see you in that."

"I know, he bought it for me…"

"He did?"

"Yeah…for Christmas…" She looked down sadly. Said holiday was too close to their final moments together.

"Then that gives you every more reason to wear it." I said with strong confidence, hopefully lifting the tense atmosphere. She gave me a small smile and went into the bathroom to change. Once she left, my face faltered. Why was comforting so hard?!

**~Amy's POV~**

I wiped the last of my crude make-up off and looked in the mirror. My eyes were still slightly red, but I'm hoping people would suspect it from crying and not…my developed habit of drinking. The dress itself was beautiful to me, even if the girl wearing it wasn't. I cleaned my face once again, and reached for the door. Sonic was now on my bed, mumbling to himself. I didn't care too much to listen. I went back to my closet and grabbed a pair of black flats and a black sweater. _There_, still somewhat traditional but also different.

"Sonic…"He looked up and nodded in approval.

"Better, much better. I think you're ready."

"I hope I am…" I muttered. And with that, we left. My last time seeing Shadow in person. The last goodbye…

The drive to the church was muted by a tense silence that wouldn't let itself be lifted. I occasionally glanced over at Sonic, however, he was only focused on the road. Probably for the better, but I wished that one of us would lift the silence already. At least if he would speak to me, I would be distracted from the thoughts running through my head. But it occurred to me that he possibly didn't want to and I couldn't blame him. I felt powerless, drained and he probably did too. My mind drifted back to that horrible night; the short drive, the music, the car breaking down and the cold, cold snow. I vividly remember when I got shot, and him protecting me as his words - thought unromantically delivered, loving nonetheless.

"_**If carrying the person that's been entitled to my sworn protection over her is considered love, then I believe so."**_

The word sacrifice was like a thorn in my side. His sacrifice for me, the very reason I'm alive. The very reason that I'm broken possibly beyond repair. I snapped out of my thoughts when the church came into view. I then started to panic remembering the speech I was supposed to be giving, but with all the drinking and sulking had gotten in the way of doing anything at all. I'd have to wing it. The thought itself, showing up unprepared for an important moment, was unbelievably terrifying. But there was no way in hell I'd speak my mind for the speech.

"We're here… You ready?" Sonic asked, finally breaking that silence. I looked over to him before turning to the building. I made up my mind; no, I wasn't.

"As ready as I'll ever be… The funeral won't wait for me anyways. Shadow did like it when people showed up on time." My witty speech made Sonic chuckle for the shortest of time. In the next second, the little shimmer of light was brutally crushed by the ensuing darkness that was to come.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Breathing deeply, we slowly made our way to the doors of the building, to which Sonic held open for me. Inside there were a decent amount of people, amongst our friends - and more approaching as we arrived. I didn't realize that many people would miss him…

This only made me more nervous for my speech. _What if I broke down in the middle of it? What if I mess up and lose my train of thought and say something stupid? WHAT IF I-_

I must have been panicking on the outside as Sonic held a hand to the small of my back.

"Hey, I know it's gonna be hard for you. Just try calm down." he assured me. Although, I didn't really feel any better. I simply returned a small nod as we made it to our seats located in the front, reserved along with the rest of the members of the Sonic Team. Soft music played and the mahogany wood casket surrounded by piles of flowers and bouquets stood in the very front. In front of that was a picture of my dark hero, though he wasn't smiling in it.

A sudden flashback of me and him in the hospital not too long ago, as he smiled to me as he took his final breath…I could almost feel the salty tears of then on my face…

"Ames…relax." I then realized that I _was_ crying. Sonic reached over and handed me a tissue. Silently thanking him, I dabbed my eyes with it before just holding it in my shaking hand. I took a deep breath to calm myself as they got ready for the first speech.

* * *

"Shadow was a co-worker and friend to me. I can't really say I knew him all too well, but I've seen sides of him that not too many see. Sure, he could be cold-hearted and mean and tough, but deep down…I knew he meant well." The crowd clapped as Rouge left the podium. All there was left was Sonics' speech and then it would be time for mine. He was already making his way to the podium! I had to rack my brain for anything good to say. Everyone just talked about who Shadow was in front of them; of course my story would be different since I knew who he could really be.

"Well, let me go ahead and say…Shadow hated my guts." Sonic began. This got a few laughs from the audience. I just frowned. _How could he joke at a time like this? _I scrutinized, "Me and Shadow never really got along for nothing other than fighting. He was a reliable partner and had a few kick-butt moves. Talented guy, he was."

I tuned out the rest of his speech, trying to pull my own together. What would I talk about? Looking around, I found myself thinking about the last time I saw him. Then, out of nowhere, I could've sworn I saw someone that looked like that Daniel guy we ran into that day, but the girl - Lacey I think - wasn't with him. I sighed and looked at my shoes in disinterest. Sooner than I knew, Sonic was leaving the podium, motioning me up there. I still wasn't ready….but I got up and prepped myself anyway. Once up there, I took a deep breath and faced the crowd.

"Shadow…" I started, still not sure what to say about him. There was a lot to be said about the hedgehog - don't get me wrong, but the question was where to start? The people were eagerly waiting for the continuation of my speech, so I finally decided to speak with my heart, "Shadow wasn't always the nicest guy, so I'm not going to stand here and lie. He did things that he believed would benefit him the most. At times he was selfish, destructive, and an antagonist. However, the redeeming quality of Shadow was…that for every wrong, he made one right. He was very obsessed with making up for broken promises and evil deeds."

This was going way better than expected. The crowd also seemed to agree with what I had said thus far. I let my gaze go slowly from one part of the audience to another. I felt in control.

"The recent weeks I got to know him more than anyone has ever done. He opened up, and his motives for his actions were revealed. A very loving side of him was shown, but only to me, and only for a few minutes. H-He told me…he loved me. That I was the one for him…and shortly after, he sacrificed himself for me…"

And the fluent start I had turned sour as I began choking up. As I said what I did, a few gasps emitted from the people. I forcefully pushed my tears back and braved on. This is going to be hard.

"I-I…" I took another deep breath. Here goes, "I loved him too…I loved him back. He never got to hear that from me. I thought there was too much to say and too little time to say it. Yet, those four simple words would have been enough."

Tears were streaming down my face, and I knew it. I looked over at Sonic, who was equally surprised as he was sad. He gave me a small nod of reassurance to continue, as they all waited for me to compose myself.

"Shadow was the 'Ultimate Life Form'. He was the best at everything he did. The ultimate at absolutely anything. Whether it was being bad and treacherous, or being a world-renowned hero, Shadow was always in a league of his own…" I realized I needed something to finish this. Not something witty, or serious; but something Shadow would have said. Thankfully, it only took me a couple seconds to come up with, "…And if I could have him back, only so I could say one word to him…I would gladly spend the rest of my lifetime in silence, just to have him by my side."

And with my closing statement, the church thundered with applause as I left to go to my seat. As I did, the music had stopped and surprisingly Daniel, who I'd actually seen earlier, had came up and announced we were moving outside for the burial. So, Sonic, Knuckles, and two other guys I didn't recognize grabbed the casket as Rouge, Cream, and I each grabbed a pile of flowers. Outside, the sky had grew gray as clouds lingered in their spot. A section of land had been marked off with a six foot hole that had been dug, waiting for the body that was to go in it. I tried not to cry, the hard realization hitting me hard; I was about to bury the one I loved; the one who sacrificed themselves for my very existence.

Time seemed to speed up as the casket lowered into the hole, two guys starting to shovel dirt onto it. And soon, everyone left. Only Sonic and I remained after everything was done and in place…

Staring at the dull tombstone that now belonged to Shadow, I found I was crying again, the only thing I seemed to know how to do without him. The tissue in my hand went to my face, but did nothing to calm me anymore as I sunk to my knees and I clung onto the piece of slate - just hoping it would turn into the real, breathing Shadow the Hedgehog…

"Ames…get up. Your dress…" Sonic spoke softly. It went through my deaf ears, but my brain processed nothing. Just my fruitless wishing that Shadow would come back and hold me. Wishing he'd come back and give our relationship a chance to blossom.

…Wishing it was me buried six feet under…

**XxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_I don't know how long I sat there in the dirt crying my eyes out. All I know is that during it, Sonic took a seat next to me and held me in a comforting way. The sun had gone down long ago and the sky was a canvas of twinkling stars and a full moon. Eventually, I told the blue hedgehog to go home without me, though he was waiting for me. Reluctantly, he went, probably worried I'd stay there all night. To be honest, I was planning on it…but something told me not to._

_I don't know what it was, but with my blurred vision from tears and nothing but the light of the moon to guide, I made it back home, having no more tears to cry. Though, the fangs of bittersweet sadness sunk itself in my heart as I sat there, looking out the window at the sky._

_Without him, my heart would now be half complete. He took the other half with him. Anything we'd had before had reached the end of the line. Any chance at _our_ happiness was gone. And it would stay that way…forever._

Wherever you are Shadow…know that I loved you too. And I will continue to do so. Until I reach the end of the line to find you…

* * *

**So…what'chu think? Just the continuation of the previous events. Again, I didn't come with all this by myself! Depressing Shadows came up with sixty-five percent of the story! But, anyways…**

**Please leave any thoughts or comments you might have and don't be afraid to ask questions. Until next time… -D.A.K**


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